Funeral Mass: 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Location: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Newport News
Interment: 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Location: Peninsula Memorial Park
Luke Bradford Gere, 16, passed away on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 following a five-month battle with cancer. Luke fought with immense determination and a will to live. He passed away surrounded by the love of his parents, siblings and the amazing Pediatric ICU staff at UVA hospital. Luke was born in Newport News, VA in 2004 to an Air Force family. He was a lifelong competitive swimmer, starting at age 7 with the Colony Cudas and Coast Guard Blue Dolphins (CGBD). He enjoyed playing Flag Football in the Upward League at First Baptist Church. More recently, he joined the track and cross-country team at Menchville High School where he was known for commitment to team and speed on the track.
Luke loved to fish, play basketball and hang out with friends along the James River. Luke was a kind, persistent, and hardworking young man who made his family very proud. Throughout his chemo treatments, he showed grace and gratitude to all who participated in his care at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center and UVA Hospital. Luke Gere was a sophomore at Menchville High School. The family is thankful for Luke’s teachers, coaches and friends, who helped make him the young man he became and live each day to the fullest. Luke’s passing has left a huge hole in many hearts.
He is survived by his parents, Scot and Anne-Lise Gere of Newport News, VA; his siblings, Sophie and Paul; his grandparents, Bill and Beverly Gere of Bedford, NH, Merilee Tutcik of The Villages, FL, Jacques Ammeux of Dunkerque, France and his great-grandmother, Simone Ammeux of Esquelbecq, France.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Tuesday, January 5, 2020 at 11:00 a.m., with interment to follow at 1:00 p.m. at Peninsula Memorial Park. Attendance at the church is limited to 150 people, masks and social distancing are required. The family will hold a Celebration of Life in the spring to honor Luke. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ronald MacDonald House in Charlottesville or UVA Children’s Hospital. The family will establish a scholarship fund dedicated to youth sports and it will accept memorial contributions. Arrangements by Weymouth Funeral Home.